This new policy brief published by Nordregio sheds light on one of the Nordic Region's most pressing maritime challenges: balancing the rapid expansion of offshore wind energy with traditional fishing practices in shared ocean spaces.
The brief addresses the growing tensions arising from the collision of two fundamentally different sectors. While offshore wind energy is rapidly emerging as a key pillar of the Nordic Region's energy transition, with large-scale installations reshaping marine landscapes, fishing remains deeply embedded in the cultural and economic fabric of coastal communities, rooted in centuries-old adaptive practices.
The brief provides governance insights not only for policymakers, planning authorities and sector professionals dealing with offshore wind and fisheries, but also for other marine sectors facing similar overlapping spatial pressures. It emphasizes that sustainable coexistence requires leveraging marine spatial planning frameworks that can mediate sectoral pressures, balance competing interests and values, and enable long-term coexistence.